World Series teaches Meetings Matter… a lot!
Game 4 of the World Series was the turning point. Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill was throwing a shutout into the seventh inning when Manager Dave Roberts made a mound visit to check on Hill and review strategy. Hill was feeling fine but because his manager came out, and not his pitching coach, he assumed he was being pulled. Being a good teammate, who didn’t want to show any lack of faith in the bullpen, he handed the ball to Roberts before any discussion. Roberts then had little option but to make a change at pitcher. The outcome was not good. Within minutes a four run lead was down to one. The Red Sox fought back, winning the game, and took the series the next night.
This is an illustration of what happens in meetings thousands of times a day. Misunderstanding, Miscommunication, Attribution Error. As a result, people HATE meetings. They may quit going altogether, or worse, become distracted and make poor, or even no decisions. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Know the purpose of every meeting. “Is it a check-in, tactical or strategic meeting?”
Establish some ground rules. i.e. “Never hand me the ball until I ask for it!”
Do the attendees make a difference? “When the big boss comes, the decision has already been made? or not?”
Understand that your voice is needed. “I’m okay Skip. I got it.”
Be honest with each other. “I’d love to keep going, but honestly I’m pretty gassed.”
Effective meetings are central to a healthy organization and a key indicator of future success. In both business and sports people complain, “I don’t have time for meetings – I have work to do!”
Football is described by writer George Will as “The combination of the two worst parts about America: it is violence and punctuated by committee meetings!” An NFL exec once told me, “Coaches are mercenaries. They can operate completely separate from us. They don’t need to be at this meeting”. But forward-thinkers see an advantage in having great meetings in all parts of the organization.
I’ve worked with several NBA teams, helping them improve cohesion and clarity. But this summer a club contacted me that is already on the cutting edge of team culture. What they wanted to do was….. wait for it….make improvements in their meetings! They saw a clear edge to be gained by looking at new ideas in the area of structure and behaviors in meetings.
An article last week highlighted a newly hired MLB manager’s unusual request. He wanted some office space near the GM and team President in the off-season so they can work together more closely to become completely aligned. This arrangement is unusual as most managers’ only office is in the clubhouse, which can be quite far from team exec suites.
What happened in the “meeting on the mound” to Roberts and Hill is understandable in many ways. Both seem like good, smart baseball men and the situation may have even warranted the change. We all have become accustomed to a routine around our meetings. But are they effective? Productive? Are they an advantage over our competition? Don’t quit going to meetings. Quit tolerating bad ones.
